


For the Greater Good

by Birger



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aristocracy, Bisexuality, Canon LGBTQ Character, Capitalism, Colonialism, Dark Arts, Durmstrang, F/M, Germany, International Confederation of Wizards (Harry Potter), M/M, Norway (Country), Not Canon Compliant - Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Period-Typical Homophobia, Pre-Movie 1: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Royalty, Seer Gellert Grindelwald, Statute of Secrecy (Harry Potter), Sweden - Freeform, Switzerland, The Deathly Hallows, Wandless Magic, Wizarding Culture (Harry Potter), Wizarding History (Harry Potter), Wizarding Politics (Harry Potter), Wizarding World (Harry Potter), hungary - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24230941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birger/pseuds/Birger
Summary: This is a series of short stories about the life of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
Relationships: Gellert Grindelwald/Original Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fancast:
> 
> Jamie Campbell Bower-Gellert Grindelwald (teenage years)  
> Fancast:
> 
> Melanie Laurent-Freya Bernadotte
> 
> Michael Fassbender-Franciskus Grindelwald
> 
> Erika Maroszan-Zsofia Grindelwald
> 
> Nina Dobrev-Nerida Vulchanova  
> Melanie Laurent-Freya Bernadotte
> 
> Michael Fassbender-Franciskus Grindelwald
> 
> Erika Maroszan-Zsofia Grindelwald
> 
> Nina Dobrev-Nerida Vulchanova

April 1893, Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

“Wingardium LeviosA!”

The book did not levitate as the boy had hoped but instead burned to ashes.

10-year old Gellert Grindelwald stood in his family’s apartment, in the city of Munich, Bavaria, practicing for the Durmstrang tryouts which would soon be held the following week. Since he purchased his wand at Gregorovitch Zauberstab on his 10th birthday, he had practiced wand magic tirelessly to get into the school of his dreams. The results were however mixed.

“It is called Wingardium LeviOsa, not LeviosA,” his father Franciskus said corrected him while non-verbally conjuring water over the book his son had burned. “Let’s try this again. Shall we?”

Young Gellert looked at the book with desperation. He had to succeed unless he wanted to wait for another year to get a “proper wizarding education”, as his father put it.

He had managed to perform the levitation charm before but the stress he felt before the trial made it difficult to perform any spell without losing control over his magical abilities. His growing depression, loneliness, and dissatisfaction with his new home did not exactly make things easier.

Francis conjured cube made of stone at the chair and said; “Let us try again. And don’t feel stressed. Just take it easy.”

The young wizard closed his and took a deep breath.

“WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA”

Another week of intense training had passed. He got better and better for every day to his father’s joy. All that was left were the tryouts themselves.

The clock his 10 PM.

“Accio Flowers”

The urn of red roses flew towards him crashing on the floor.

His mother, Zsofia who sat at the table reading a book about obscure healing spells just rolled her eyes. Before she could draw her wand, Gellert had already fixed the urn with a swift severing charm.

With another wave of his wand, he said; “Wingardium LeviOsa” and the urn with the flowers were put back on the table where they belonged.

“You’ve gotten far, Gellert. But don’t you think it is time to go to bed? You don’t want to miss out on your big day tomorrow, ” his mother said in her native Hungarian, not sounding all too enthusiastic about her son’s growing skills and potential of having his dreams come true.

“Oh please mom, I have so many spells I need to repeat. The knockback jinx, aquamenti, incendio..., ” Gellert responded in her mother's native tounge.

“How about the sleeping charm? You need your rest.”

“Will you come and watch me at the tryouts tomorrow?”

“Of course I will, ” she said with a saddening face as she closed the door to her bedroom.

“Father, What is it with mother?” the boy asked.

“Nothing just go to bed. It is a big day tomorrow, ” his father answered, lifting his end from the mountains of scrolls he was writing on.

“But why is she sad?”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask her if you promise to go to sleep.”

“Okay. I understand father.”

Once Gellert shut the door to his room, he pointed his wand at his hippogriff toy. With focus and determination, he uttered the magical words;  
“Diffindo”

In a heartbeat, the hippogriff head cut loose from the rest of the toy.

“Reparo,” and the toy fixed itself as if nothing had happened.

“I’ve got this, ” Gellert said and continued practicing.

Roughly one hour later he finally gave in to his parents' words, he put on pajamas and went to bed without brushing his teeth first.

Suddenly he saw that his mother carefully opened the door.

“Sorry, Gellert. Did I wake you?” She asked in Hungarian.

“Yes, you did, ” her son replied in her native language.

“Don’t lie, I heard you practicing. Why do I feel the smell of smoke? You used incendio without permission didn’t you?”

Her son didn’t know how to answer.

“Be grateful that I’m not like my parents. They are Muggles. And you know Muggles threats children who don’t behave?”

“Badly, I guess?”

“Worse, ” she smiled half-heartedly. “Anyway, I just wanted to say that I know I have not been very supportive of you lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been questioning your father’s wish for you to attend Durmstrang.”

“But mother I’ve always wanted to go Durmstrang myself. It is not just my father’s wish, ” Gellert raised his voice.

“I know, I know, Gellert. But I understand now, that if going to Durmstrang is what you want, then that is where you're supposed to go. “

The boy just stared at her.

“But remember if the tryouts tomorrow doesn’t go as you want them to do, there’s a local day school that will work just as well.”

“Mom, if I don’t get in at Durmstrang. Can I go to Hogwarts instead?” Gellert said much to his mother’s surprise. He never had considered another alternative for a school before.

“No my son. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry only takes children from Great Britain and Ireland and we’re Germans, like it or not. Did you get that idea from auntie Bathilda?”

“Yes, I did. But if I did get into Hogwarts, which house do you think I would be in? ”

“I’m not an expert. If I’m being perfectly honest I think it is stupid to follow the words of a talking, mind-reading hat. But if I had to pick one for you I would choose that one with the lion. ”

“The house of the brave? I would like the get sorted into the snakey one. ”

“No, you wouldn’t. Only crazy and bad men go there. You’re better than so. Either way, it is late. Time to sleep, ” Zsofia said looking at the clock on the wall.

She kissed him on the forehead. “I love you. “

She walked out of the room and before closing the door she said; “I’ll be there you tomorrow. I promise.”

20 minutes later, after having many thoughts swirling around in his head, Gellert finally fell asleep.

_Now he was in that cold, dark prison cell he had seen in his dreams years ago._

_A man covered in black smoke hovered towards him without touching the cold, wet, floor._

_“So you have come. I thought you would… one day. But your journey was pointless. I never had it._

_The creepy pale man with red eyes screeched with a cat-like voice: “You lie.”_

_“Kill me, then!” demanded the old man laying on the floor. “You will not win, you cannot win! That wand will never, ever be yours – ”_

_The red-eyed man’s fury broke: A burst of green light filled the room and…._

Gellert opened his eyes and woke up in chock. The same dream had reappeared and what did it mean?

He didn’t get any more sleep that night due to thinking about the dream he just had. Who was the pale man? What did he want? He looked for a wand but why? All these questions depraved the young boy from his well-needed sleep.

.  
.  
.

Zsofia sat next to the breakfast table pouring her tea while thinking about what was to happen this morning. It was today it would be decided whether or not her boy would leave her alone in an empty apartment for the following 7 years or not. Sure she had Franz who was as good and loving of a husband a witch could have. The catch was that he spent multiple weeks in a row in foreign lands while doing missionary work for the ICW. These weeks tended to be the worst for the Hungarian witch who would only have her colleagues at the hospital for company.

She thought back on her days in Hungary when she got her letter from the local wizarding school on her 11th birthday. It was one of the happiest moments of her life when she got to know that she would lead her own life, distanced from her neglectful Muggle parents and jealous siblings. Her following 7 years shaped her into the witch she was today. Perhaps Durmstrang would have a similar positive effect on her son? Or maybe not?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an owl knocking with its beak at her window.

“Accio wallet, ” she said with a handwave due to not having her wand near her, and a wallet flew out of the bedroom, landing in her left hand.

“Alohomora,” and the window flew open.

“Good Morning. 5 Zaubermark for the latest edition of the Black Forest Journal was it?” she said putting the coins in the owl’s pocket pouch, and pulled out the newspaper from the enlarged space.

The owl flew away to the next wizarding house in the city as Zsofia took a look at the front page.

HEADMISTRESS OF THE DURMSTRANG INSTITUTE ADDRESSES THE MYTH ABOUT THE SCHOOL’S ANTI-MUGGLEBORN POLICY-by Dieter Schmidt, page 1.  
Page one was marked by a large black and white picture of a stunningly beautiful blond witch dressed in a fur coat, standing in front of a massive castle surrounded by glaciers that made up the arctic tundra.

_Last Week I, Dieter Schmidt a humble Muggleborn who grew up in a family of poor peasants was given the option to travel to the far north of the wizarding world to visit the school of the wealthy elite, the Durmstrang Institute of Magical Learning, to meet with its new headmistress Freya Desiree-Bernadotte. Miss Bernadotte is something unique to the school as she is the first dean of Durmstrang, to openly admit her Muggle heritage. Here is what she has to say about the many negative rumors surrounding her school._

_“It has come to my attention that people think that Durmstrang is a school that only accepts purebloods. That we educate terrorists and serial killers. That we are responsible for the sudden wave of Muggleborn and Squib trafficking that has come to plague much of Northern and Eastern Europe in recent times. This is all just plain wrong. First of all; the Durmstrang Institute is a place for children who will grow up into adults who make a difference. Those who have the potential to push wizarding society for the better. It is not a coincidence that 3/4 Nordic Ministers for Magic, who passed the universal wand law, had Durmstrang as their alma mater. We teach our students to embrace dark arts, and people who are different, who show special abilities._

__

_At no other school in Europe can magical beings like werewolves and vampires receive a proper wizarding education. If a werewolf tried to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for example, she would be kicked out before putting on the sorting hat, despite having the richest, most supportive parents in the world. And what about our anti-Muggleborn policies, Herr Schmidt? That is just another myth. It may seem like we hate Muggle Borns but we do not. It just that those whose blood is pure have proven time and time again that they have better potential to succeed and finish the education. Whenever we offered a Muggleborn the chance to attend, they’ve quit. They couldn’t handle our demanding nature. They’ve felt out of place and that is understandable, I won’t deny that Durmstrang is not for everyone because it isn’t. There are exceptions like my father who was born into the Royal Family….”_

Zsofia stopped reading at that sentence. She was boiling in fury and frustration on the inside.

“Incendio,” and the newspaper turned took flames, and turned to ash on the floor.

.  
.

“Good morning sun, slept well?” Franz greeted his son 7:0 clock in the morning at the breakfast table.

“Not really. I had bad dreams.”

“Well okay. Zsofia do we have some energy potion?”

His mother who was dressed in her healing robes said; “No we don’t. But you can take some sips of coffee for this time. “

She conjured another cup and made the can fill it by itself.

Once Gellert took his first sips he immediately spat it out.

“Ahhhhh. It burned.”

After the breakfast was over, Gellert had put on his black robes, sweater, white shirt, and bowtie as his father had recommended. The family now stood in front of the fireplace ready to go.

“Ready to go?” Franciscus asked his son, rhetorically.

“I am ready to go, ” Gellert said with a sleepy voice.

“Then light the fireplace.”

The boy pointed his wand at the wood sticks and said; “Incendio”

The flames flew all over the place and lit his mother’s robes.

“S-ss-SOrry mum, I fix it, ” the young wizard said stressfully and attempted to fix the damage he had caused. Before he could’ve done anything, his mother had killed the flame withs a nonverbal water-conjuring charm.

“Off to a great start aren’t we?” Zsofia said sarcastically. “Incendio!”

Now the fireplace was on fire.

Gellert took a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the fireplace.

“FEDERAL MINISTRY OF MAGIC HEADQUARTERS, Gendarmenmarkt Berlin, ” he shouted as he stepped into the fire.

In a swoop, he was transported away from his apartment in Munich and through several other fireplaces on the way.

The whirlwind stopped and he stepped out of the green flames he had traveled through. He stood in a massive hallway. It was a large hall covered in the colors gold, emerald, maroon, and black. The hall was crowded with wizards, witches, goblins, and elves who walked around with levitating piles of papers.

In the other end of the auditorium, there was a poster that depicted the current German Federal Minister for Magic, a 50-year old wizard named Max Oberman", in his striped black robes and pretty bowtie. Besides him stood the 4 Ministers that ruled over the smaller bundesländer, (Prussia, Bavaria, Austria, and Bohemia) that encompassed the German Wizarding Federation.

This was all an astounding sight for little Gellert who had never been here before.

“Quite a sight ain’t it Gellert?” His father said from behind as his mother stepped out from the fireplace.

The family walked through the many hallways of Ministry until they found the educational office. Several wizards and witches no older than 17 and dressed in blood red, black belted, and militaristic robes stood with their hands behind their backs guarding a room.

“I didn’t know there would be this many children here, ” Gellert yawned.

“This is only a small fraction of all students that are tested. The same thing happens or has already happened in the Ministries of Scandinavia, Balticum, and Bulgaria amongst many others.”

“Durmstrang Tryouts” a large sign read over the entrance to the trial room.

There were possibly over a hundred nervous children in the room with their parents and older siblings trying to call them down for what was to come.

When the clock hit 8 am, one of the red-robed wizards made his voice heard.

“ATTENTION PLEASE!”

Everyone in the corridor went silent.

“Welcome potential future Durmstrang students. This morning we will have our trials to see who is worthy of attending our glorious institute, and which that are not. One wizard or witch at a time. Wait until you hear your name. Is that understood? Good, let’s not waste any more time. Do we have ourselves a Bruno Schmidt? I repeat do we have ourselves a Bruno Schmidt? ”

A boy who was dressed in the same type of robes as Gellert walked towards the 17-year old wizard and into the room where he would have his magical skills tested.

10 minutes later another student was called up. And soon another, and another, until it was Gellert’s turn.

“Gellert Grindelwald!” The red robed student shouted.

The boy stepped forward nervous as he was.

He was let into a dark room lit by flying candles.

A short, and somewhat chubby man with a bushy haircut, dressed in white robes, and thick glasses, sat on a chair and looked at him with a creepy grim, as the boy entered the room.

“Gellert Wilhelm Grindelwald, show me what you got, ” the man said with a thick Austrian accent. He didn’t bother with any formalities, presumably due to repeating the same process over and over again with the other children.

“What should I begin with?”

“You can begin with the levitation charm. Can you make some of the stones on the floor levitate for me?”

The 10-year old wizard looked at the red spheres that appeared on the floor beneath.

He pointed his wand at the floor and closed his eyes which made him feel even more tired than he was before.

“Wingardium, Leviosa!” Gellert mumbled.

Nothing happened.

“What are you waiting for a young man? Make them fly.”

“WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!” The boy shouted in frustration causing the red spheres to fly uncontrollably in all directions.

“Well I am almost impressed, ” the examiner said while making some notes with his feather.

“Please let me do it again sir. I can do better!” the young wizard pleaded, disappointed with himself.  
“No, let’s not waste any more time. How about the summoning charm? Can you summon the spheres and make them stay in the air just in front of you?”

“Yes, I can, Herr Professor.”

Pointed at one of the red spheres to the left of him and shouted; “ACCIO RED SPHERES!”

Now spheres from all directions flew towards him and disintegrated to ashes as soon as they hit him, thus preventing any harm.

The examiner shook his head with an empty smile on his face.

“I’ve seen enough Mr. Grindelwald. You’re free to go.”

This broke the little boy. He must have heard wrong. He couldn’t fail now. His future depended on this test.

“Please Mr. examiner. Give me another chance. I didn’t sleep well last night. I can do better, I promise, ” he desperately begged the creepy lab-coated man.

“Well, then you should have gone to sleep earlier. That’s a tip for next year's trials if I see you then. Otherwise, there are at least 2 perfectly fine day schools in this country as an alternative. ”

“But Herr. I need to get into one of the prestigious wizarding schools that are registered as the elite at the International Confederation of Wizards. I am destined for it. ”

“You are destined for greatness, you say? That is very smug of you. Learn how to speak English properly, and maybe you can attend Hogwarts. I’m sure you would make a good Hufflepuff, consider your determination, or was that Slytherin? I’m no expert. ”

“I can’t attend Hogwarts. I’m neither British or Irish. Durmstrang is the only option. If you want proof of my skills look at this; Incendio!”

The spell did not work out as planned. Instead of flame coming out of the tips of wand it came out backward, burning his pretty robes and sweater.

“GAAAAH, I’M BURNING. DO SOMETHING, ” Gellert screamed as fell on the floor with the fire burning his fine clothes.

With a silent wave of his hand, the professor made the flames vanish.

“Now leave! And don’t come back until next year.”

Young Gellert didn’t object this time. He had truly humiliated himself. What was he going to do now?

When he opened the door to the waiting hall he was met with the worried expressions of both his parents.

“Gellert, how did it go?” His father asked.

“I’m sorry father. I’d let you down, ” his son broke down sobbing.

Zsofia went down on her knees and hugged her crying boy.

“Don’t worry Gellert. It is not the entire world.”

“You don’t understand mom!”

“I’ll do understand. I will owl aunt Bathilda and see if you can live with her. She will teach you English and then maybe you can go to Hogwarts, ” the Hungarian mother assured him, although she didn’t fully believe her own words.

“Father please say there’s a way for me to get in at Durmstrang!” Gellert begged his father.

“Fear not my son. I think I have a plan. Let’s just wait an hour or so. ”

They waited an hour for all the trials to finish. As the last child walked out of the trial room, Franz shut his foot between the closing door and the wall, causing him to cringe of pain.

“Now get in!”

His son and wife walked into the room where they found the seemingly creepy professor packing his things. He saw gave lifeless look at the “desperate” family who came to negotiate.

“Francis Grindelwald, you are not the first nor will you be the last one who tries to bribe me and my colleagues for your child place at our school. ”

“I don’t remember that you were a legilimens professor Schachinger, ” Franz said to ease the tension.

“I am now. I have come a long way since I was just an insignificant extra teacher. ”

“That is impressive. Must’ve have taken many years to perfect magic on that level...”

“Don’t try smooth talk your way in. You are not like the Notts of the Nordics or the Karkarovs of Russia. Like it or not, you’re commoners by our standards and commoners have to pass a test. Which your son failed. So get out!” The man named Schachinger hissed.

“Schachinger, Schachinger. Always so hostile. How much gulden is required for you to let my son do another test? Come on please write the number on this check. ”

“Does it look like I am still underpaid?”

“No absolutely not, but some extra money in the pocket never hurts. ”

Schachinger just stared at him, skeptical and not sure what to say. It was pretty clear that he wanted to take Franz’ offer but was too proud to give himself into it right away.

“Wish my son was in my situation when I was 11. Didn’t even need to pass any admittance exam. Why was that you think? How can the world be so unfair?” Franz rhetorically asked his former teacher.

Zsofia just wanted to leave and go to work but she knew that Franz wouldn’t give up. This Schachinger man just made her want to puke.

“You were a pureblood from a noble and highly influential family. Possibly the most famous one in all of Switzerland. Then we all found out what your father liked to do in his spare time. Things like that do destroy one’s reputation.”

“Father what did he mean by that?” Gellert asked worrisomely.

“Not now!” Zsofia interrupted, her cheeks red as a tomato.

“My family’s reputation won’t be destroyed by the crimes of my father. The Swiss Council of Magic knew how to take care of scum like him. I promise that Gellert will grow up to become an astounding wizard. A gift to the magical world. Now, what will it take to prove to you that I am right? ”

One could spot on the weird man’s face that he was getting tired of this conversation and just wanted to go home.

“Perhaps had his blood been pure, I would’ve given him another chance. But as it is now, your son is not the top priority. ”

Now Zsofia cooked of fury on the inside.

“What do you mean not “top priority”?”

The professor took a step back.

“Why is it that you believe that just because his mom is not the same person as his aunt, that he is less worthy of your so-called ‘prestigeful education’? My alma mater didn’t care about the purity of your blood, your riches, or your social status and yet it is considered one of the best schools in Europe.”

“Miss Grindelwald. Don’t compare us to those copycat smaller wizarding schools around Eastern Europe. They cannot be put to the same standard as us. We mainly focus on the wealthy elite, the creme de la crop, and most of that consists of you guessed it. Purebloods. And that is for a..... ”

“...A FACT I suppose you were meant to say? A fact that you inbreeders have made up to maintain control over us Muggleborns.”

Franz took a step aside, not wanting to interrupt his wife’s rant.

“I am not sure where you’ve gotten that from. The statistics are clear...”

She took a few hasty steps closer to him and prep

“I don’t care about any goddam statistics. Since I was 11, I’ve been target by wizards and Muggles. I’ve been told that I am worthless, a burden, unable to achieve anything in life and I have done everything to prove those people that they were wrong. SO NOW I AM DEMANDING YOU TO GIVE MY SON A SECOND CHANCE. ”

The professor took a deep breath. He wanted nothing else but to see this annoying family leave.

“Yes, but it will cost 2000 gulden, ” he finally agreed.

“1000, ” Zsofia said.

“Did you not hear me correctly?”

“Please Zsofia, 2000 is fine, ” Franz agreed. “Herr Schachinger. You will get the money tomorrow I promise. I must visit at the Federal wizarding bank first, assuming my son succeeds.”

“Oh you will pay regardless, ” the weird man said. “Okay kid now is your chance.”

Young Gellert couldn’t believe it.

“Thank you, professor. What will I have to do?”

“Let’s take it from where we started shall we?”

He summoned a cauldron from thin air and threw it at the other side of the room.

“Summon it!”

Gellert closed his eyes, cleansed his thoughts and took a deep breath.

Don’t think. Just do.

“Accio Cauldron!”

The cauldron flew towards and with a flick of his wand he made it stop right in front of him.

Both of his parents look at him with an expression of relief.

“Now fill it with water, ” the professor demanded.

Gellert took a few extra breaths.

“Aquamenti!”

From the tip of his wand, a stream of water was conjured, filling the cauldron.

Professor Schachinger made a flick with his wand at the water turned black.

“Put it on fire!”

“Incendio!”

This time it was not his clothes that turned into flames.

His mother looked at him with proud eyes, eager to greet him.

“Make the flames disappear!”

“Ignis Evanesca!”

The flames disappeared.

That had to be it. What more could the examiner ask for?

The Lab-coated man looked at him fairly impressed. It was clear that the young wizard had surpassed his expectations.

“Fair enough. You’ve convinced me. Welcome to Durmstrang. Now get the hell out of here so I don’t have to see you again until the 1st of September. Except for you Franciscus. I want your money tomorrow at 12 o'clock. Meet me at Gendarmenmarkt. ”

“Don’t worry Caliban, you will. I am a man of my word, ” Gellert’s father assured him.


	2. Setting Sails for the North

Gellert and his family stood in an underground cave near a beach, surrounded by other families who waited to take farewell of their kids. Next to a cliff stood the massive, East Indian like carrack that would take them to Durmstrang’s secret location.

Like all the other children, Gellert was dressed in tiny, blood-red, and belted robes and carried a heavy full of school equipment they had acquired at a local wizarding market a few weeks ago. He wished he could cast an undetectable extension charm on his bag but according to his dad, such spells were prohibited at Durmstrang since 2 centuries ago when a group of students had smuggled in a Swedish short-snout into the school, resulting in the death of its current headmaster.

“So here we are. The moment I’ve been dreading all my life, ” Zsofia said trying to keep her tears inside.

“I’m going to be fine mom. ”

“Don’t get me wrong. I am proud of you it is just that….just don’t give up and let all the gulden we spent on this year’s tuition fee go to waste.”

“Of course not! I will never give up. I promise that I won’t disappoint you, mother. And not you either, father. ”

“I know you won’t. Just don’t stir any trouble. They won’t hesitate to expel you. Professor Schachinger has right in some aspects. In their eyes we are commoners and they will be harsher to you than the kids with parents within the school board. Be sensible alright? Just like I was. If you behave these are going to be the best 7 years of your life, ” his father stated.

“Don’t worry I will be fine, ” Gellert said knowing that he would not be able to keep himself out of trouble.

“I will write to you as often as po….”

“ATTENTION! WE ORDER NOW ALL PARENTS TO LEAVE AS WE PREPARE FOR OUR DEPARTURE.”

Her words had been interrupted by one of the older students.

Zsofia desperately went down on her knees and hugged Gellert while letting out her tears.

“It is time for us to leave now. Please be brave. ”  
“You will get through this,” his father added. ”Just don’t break any rules and don’t wander of the school’s borders. You know what happened to your uncle Wilhelm.

Franciscus and Zsofia grabbed each other’s hand and disapparated away.

Soon all parents had vanished from the cave, leaving their kids alone.

Gellert felt like his life had just begun. Some of the older students had started to 6 six long lines next to the ship. One wizard and witch next to each other. A seventh-year student stood next to each line holding sign. He spotted a sign that read “Clan of the Gryphon year 1-3.” The young Bavarian wizard walked towards that particular line and found a girl he could stand next to. Like everyone else, he held his hands behind the back.

Suddenly he heard the sound of some older students playing trumpets as if they were preparing for some kind of ceremony.

Out of the ship came Professor Caliban Schachinger in his typical lab coat.

“Good morning old and new students of the Durmstrang Institute. As some of you may know, my name is Caliban Schachinger but you are meant to refer me as “Professor” or “Magister” as the Scandinavians like to call it. I am your teacher in “Necromancy” amongst other subjects, and also head of the “Clan of the Augurey. ” Now that we’ve got the pleasantries out of the way, let’s get started. Clan PREFECTS; GIVE ORDER.”

“CLAN OF THE WYVERN YEAR 4-7. HANDS BEHIND THE BACK. MARCH. ”

The line next to Gellert’s marched over the plank and into the ship.

“CLAN OF THE WYVERN YEAR 1-7. HANDS BEHIND THE BACK. MARCH. ”

The younger Wyvern clan members started to march.

After the wyverns’, it was the auguries turn and finally the griffins of Gellert’s generation.

They walked into the cabins on the second-highest floor at the ship. While it was huge on the outside it may very well have been bigger on the inside.

If Gellert remembered correctly from his letter the number of his cabin was “1C-Gryphon.”

Once he opened the door he was approached by an overweight and brown-haired boy.

" My name is Leonard. What’s yours.”

“Gellert. Gellert Grindelwald. What was that?”

“Nice to meet you, Gellert. Come in!”

There were 2 2-store beds in a room and 3 beds were occupied already.

“Guys say hello to our new roommate; Gellert Grindelwald!”

“Wolfgang Becker. Nice to meet you, ” the blond boy who sat on the bed next to Gellert’s greeted him

“Ciao!” Said the black-haired boy at the left overbed. “Federico Clemenza! What is it with your eyes. ”

”I don’t know. My eyes have been like this since birth. ”

”I don’t mean anything bad about it. I wish my eyes were of two different colors as well, ” Federico said with a dash of sarcasm.

“Are you excited? ” Gellert asked his new roommates.

“If we are, ” Leonard replied. “My mom insisted on me going to Beauxbatons but I am so happy that I got in at Durmstrang. So far, at least. ”

“I wanted to go to the local wizarding school in Italy. But now due to my mother, I had to learn fluent German. It better be worth it. ”

“Where are you from? Italy? ” Gellert asked.

“Exactly. The South Tyrol. And you? ”

“My family currently lives in Lubeck, Preussen, but I am born in Bavaria and I have ancestry basically from all over the continent. A dash of Swiss, British, and Hungarian.”

“That is one mix of nationalities, ” Leonard commented. “I am Dutch through and through. ”

“Grindelwald. Isn’t that a village in Switzerland?” Wolfgang asked.

“Yes. My grandfather founded the village of ‘Grindelwald’ many years ago. Daddy moved out of the country when he was a kid for reasons I honestly don’t understand. ”

“The name Grindelwald rings a lot of bel….”

“EVERYBODY OUT IN THE CORRIDOR. YOU’VE GOT 30 SECONDS!!!!!!”

Wolfgang's words were interrupted by the scream of one of the prefects.

“TIMEOUT. EVERYBODY STAND IN A LINEUP.”

All the students stood quietly waiting for the next order.

“Welcome junior students of Durmstrang. For you who know it. My name is Heinrich Eberstadt and I am a 6th-year student and a prefect of the gryphon clan. I am studying at the Institute’s Law Enforcement program to become an Auror at the Swiss Council of Magic“

He took a pause and then continued his monologuing.

“Durmstrang is not like other wizarding schools. Hogwarts and Beauxbatons to mention 2. We focus tremendously offensive magic used mainly by Aurors. But that anyone can use for war. Those we find worthy, we teach the dark arts. With that, it carries enormous responsibility and if we see someone abusing it, it will have fatal consequences. And don't you dare think you can defy my orders. Running and making noises in the corridor during the night! Penalty work! Practicing dark arts outside of lesson time! Expulsion before you can say 'Avada Kedavra'.”

Eberstadt didn’t seem like a guy you wanted to mess with but Gellert had a lingering feeling that he would break many rules before graduation.

“Now I want you to go and grab your bags and put your equipment on the floor in front of you so that I and Spielman here can check if you’ve acquired everything you were supposed to now. We begin now. You’ve got 3 minutes. ”

Gellert and his roommates did as he said and ran back into their cabin, grabbed their bags, and ran out in the corridor where some of their classmates where some of their schoolmates already were finished with the task.

“BAGS ON THE FLOOR. IF YOU HAVE A PET TAKE IT WITH YOU.”

From one end of the corridor to the other, you could hear the pets make high noises due to all the stress and hysteria.

One girl struggled with dragging out her cat from the cabin after the 3 minutes mark had passed.

“During the rare cases I’ve given you to little time, you ask for more. Just don’t be late, ” Eberstadt instructed.

Eberstadt stood with a list in front of the children also said loudly and clearly;

"I will read from my list all the things you should have with you. When I say spellbook you should all keep your spell book clear so we can see. You get the idea. Spielman, Varga, and Popa, here will check you so you don't cheat. We are in a lot of hurry so don't pull out on time. We start now.

“Cauldron!”

Everyone kept their cauldrons up without any quirks. Spielman and a witch walked around checking that no one was missing their cauldron.

Then the young inspector said "textbook".

Everyone kept their textbooks up.

"Miranda Goshawk’s Standard Book of Spells."

Everyone kept that book up. Three times without anyone forgetting something. None of the inspectors showed any kind of pride. It was almost as if they wished someone had forgotten something for some innocent student to bark at.

Once they were finished with the control Eberstadt said; “Only a few missteps here and there. We will be sure to correct that once we’ve arrived at the secret location. For now, I want you to put your equipment in your lockers. There is an instruction manual on how to do it in your cabins. Make sure to know your roommates well. You will spend many years with each other. Now on my order; GET BACK INTO YOUR CABINS! ”

“Well it is here we’ll spend our upcoming 7 years, ” Federico exclaimed.

“I think I will love it, ” Gellert answered. “Great that they’ll hammer some discipline into all these spoiled brats. ”

TOOOOOOOOOT.

The ship began to take off and started to sail away, marking the beginning of their journey.

After fixing his stuff, Gellert walked up on the deck to get a view on the sea. He had never been out in the sea, the ways you could travel as a wizard undermined that need. But boy did the sea make him feel small. The morning sun was gazing in his face and felt incredibly alive.

All over the ship students were stressfully worked for the ship to keep going. At least 5 students blew wind into the sails to ensure that ship traveled as fast as possible. One girl sat in a basket high up the middle mast to look for Muggles.

Professor Schachinger and another teacher that Gellert didn’t recognize screamed at the students to work harder.

“Hey, you kid. I haven't said you were allowed up on the deck!”

It was Heinrich Eberstadt who had abandoned his position to yell at Gellert for disobedience.

“I’m sorry sir. You didn’t say we weren’t allowed...”

“If I haven't said anything then you can assume you are not allowed to do it. Now get away from here. ”

“I think you should have been more specific....”

“Shut up and get down. Don’t make me say it again.”

Disappointed, Gellert walked downstairs back to the first floor.

11 o'clock, they went to eat lunch in the café section. Gellert sat with his roommates and some other kids, discussing their home lives and to his dismay, their views on people with “inferior blood status”, a topic that got Wolfgang shaking for some reason.

After the lunch was over it was time to get their respective clan tattoo.

Three lines had been formed for each clan.

One by one the kids were injected with a syringe in their right arm. The substance that they were injected with formed into a respective clan symbol.

Gellert was nervous as he never had been injected with a syringe before (none of the kids had) but he did his best to not show that.

“Don’t worry it is just a sting, ” the older witch said assuringly as she drew up his sleeves and made the injection.

The boy cringed in pain as a griffin in black ink formed in his arm.

“Welcome, young man. You are now officially a member of the gryphon clan.”


	3. History of Durmstrang

Gellert woke up 05:45 in the morning. He knew the prefects would soon come and loudly wake everyone with their trumpets. The young German wizard liked being a step ahead of everyone else. Out of the cabin's window, he saw a pair of killers whales swimming by followed and possibly hunted by a long sea serpent. This could only mean that they were beneath the surface.

3 nights had passed since they left off in Germany and the ship was now sailing underwater through a long and enchanted underwater stream that made journey much shorter than it would have been without magic. To not waste their time the prefects had classes with the younger students where they repeated the basic spells they were tested during the admittance trials.

As Gellert had expected the trumpets began tooting precisely six in the morning and everyone in the cabin woke up, dressed on and ran out in the corridor to stand in formation.

Heinrich Eberstadt and his crew walked past them all and said; " Good morning 1st-year students. We are now only a few miles away from Durmstrang! Once we’ve gotten to the harbor we have 10 minutes march ahead of us with us prefects in the lead, towards the castle. When we are inside the castle I do not want to see any running through the corridor. Instead, we keep the same formation to the big hall. Now go and eat breakfast. Then I want you to pack your bags and go up on deck. "

20 minutes after Gellert did everything he was supposed to do he went up on the deck and was greeted by a cold breeze in his face. It felt so good to be outdoors again. Both first-year students and the older ones were up. There was no sun outside but the weather was gray now when 8 a.m. Despite the gray weather, one could still get a good look over the area.

Around the ship, you could see icebergs floating around and big waves hitting them. The ship passed a small island where a family polar bears consisting of one mother and two cubs looking for food. One of an older teenage guy stood by the boat's front and said "Accio fish."

Suddenly, a lot of fish flew out of the water and stopped at the air, shocking many of the younger students who backed back and then laughed at the older student's magic.

"Wingardium Leviosa" he then said, making the large pile of fish levitating towards the hungry polar bears, which swallowed them immediately.

A red-haired teenage girl in curls, as well as a blonde, skinny guy who Gellert assumed, was her boyfriend turned into large hawks or eagles that flew up to the mast, making their classmates moan. They flew around the entire boat and circulated in harmony. Then landed on the deck, turned back to people, and kissed each other.

Gellert looked up Leonard, Federico, and Wolfgang who were standing at the stern. “Did you see that. 2 students turned into big birds of prey and flew around the boat.

Leonard replied; “I know. The witch turned into a hawk and the wizard into a golden eagle. "

“Dad never told me that Durmstrang taught its students how to become an Animagus. "

“It must have been a new thing then, ” Federico said.

“God I would want to become an Animagus, ” Gellert said.

“Who cares? There are better ways to spend your time, ” Wolfgang said.

“LOOK! THE CASTLE. We are here,” one of the girls in their year shouted.

Out of the gaze, the castle appeared. The castle was huge with multiple stores and towers and surrounded walls which made it look like it was built to stand a siege. It appeared to be situated on a mountain cliff, towering over the fjord. The school grounds were surrounded by snowy glaciers and sharp, rocky mountains.

On the shores, one could see a small colony of giant seals with large tusks resting in the sunlight.

A couple of minutes later they had arrived at the harbor. 3 ships had already been docked meaning that students from other regions had already been picked before the German speakers. Mid-sized houses in red stood lined up on the shores and church could be spotted in the distance.

Not a single tree was to be found anywhere in sight which was probably due to the cold. Indeed Gellert had never felt so cold ever in his life. Had it not been for his uniform he would have probably frozen to death. The prefects threw out some ropes to some other students that stood at the wharf.

“TA EMOT!”

After the ship had been docked it was time to set foot on land again. 6 long columns were formed with 4 people in the front of each column.

Professor Schachinger took the word and shouted; “ON MY ORDERS! MARCH!.” 10 minutes later they arrived at the castle where they had to wait for the outer gate to get opened. 

They were lead into the courtyard where some other students (presumably Scandinavians) were walking around observing the group of the German-speaking section marching into the castle.

This made Gellert wonder how many students there were at Durmstrang. He thought the ship he had traveled on was overcrowded but as it turns out, it was only a part of a much larger student population.

Each and everywhere one could see gargoyles standing stills on stone pillars rooftops while only moving their eyes.

Professor Schachinger made the port of the castle open itself and lead his students to a long corridor lit by green torches on the walls.

Gellert remembered Aunt Bathilda's description of her school, Hogwarts, and then the inviting feeling it gave her when she entered the castle for the first time when she was the same age as her great-nephew. Durmstrang, on the other hand, didn’t give a very comfortable feeling. The architecture, the design, and the overall atmosphere was something out of a gothic horror story.

Instead of living portraits, some weapons and shields from the Viking and the Middle Ages, hanging on the walls. Ghosts in medieval armors bowed to the newly arrived group of marching students that passed by.

The Nordic students that arrived the other day went silent and made a way for their Central European, German-speaking school mates.

Professor Schachinger and the prefects led their students into the main hall which Gellert thought looked like a half-circle, indoors Quidditch arena. Beneath the stage, a large dim-like gaze floated that looked like the emptiness of the universe.

“Everyone, take a seat and be quiet!” Professor Schachinger instructed.

Gellert and his new-founded friends found a seat in the far back of the hall. 

A minute later they could hear the sound of trumpets playing again and suddenly through a flash of light a staggeringly beautiful lady appeared on stage.

Did she apparate on the school grounds? Gellert thought for himself. According to this great-aunt, this was impossible at Hogwarts.  
The witch looked like she was in her late thirties, was dressed in black robes above a turtleneck, and had her long blond hair tied in a bun. Gellert assumed that she was the type of witches, wizard-like his dad would find attractive.

“Var hälsade, Durmstrangs tysktalande söner och döttrar. Är ni exalterade inför ett nytt år?”

“JAAAAAAAA, ” some of the older students shouted in response.

“Jag hörde er inte riktigt. ÄR NI EXALTERADE INFÖR ETT NYTT ÅR”

“JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, ” the students shouted even higher.

“What was that for ugly language? Norwegian?” Gellert wondered.

“I bet Danish, ” Leonard said.

“Det är härligt å höra, ” the witch responded gleefully to the audience. “I should probably shift language now. I almost forgot that not all of you can speak Swedish. Not yet at least. ”

Was Swedish the official language of Durmstrang now? According to Gellert’s father, it was his native German but this could have to do with the change of principal.

“To all newcomers, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Freya Desireé Bernadotte and since 2 years back in time, I've been the headmistress of the Durmstrang Institute of Magical Learning, ” she said with frenetic energy and passion.

“I attended this Institute myself as a kid and was sorted into the lindworm clan. After my graduation, I went on to become an Auror at the Swedish Ministry of Magic and later joined the International Wizarding Police. During my service in the IWP, I got to travel around Africa and the Middle East to combat slave traders, Islamic warlords, and enforce the Statute of Secrecy in countries that had not yet been willing to comply with the ever globalized wizarding community. “

Prefect Eberstadt looked on with great enthusiasm as if he wanted to follow his headmistress footsteps later in life.

“Enough about me. Let us talk about Durmstrang, you get an idea of what you have gotten yourself into. To understand Durmstrang we need to go deep back into the school’s history. So prepare yourself for a journey about adventure, heroism, sacrifices, and betrayal. This is the story of how our Institute came to be and what you can expect from these upcoming 7 years. ”

Some of the older students moaned quietly as they already had this story hammered into their heads, during their previous years. The Headmistress directed her wand at the gaze which began to shape and form and now showed a living image of a mountainous, forest landscape with a small cottage in the midst of it all.

“Our story begins roughly 800 years ago in the Second Bulgarian Empire.”  
The gaze now showed a young black-haired, and dark-skinned witch in purple robes.

“The lady you see here is none other than Nerida Vulchanova. The future of our Institute. She was a witch of many words; kind, caring, and compassionate and would often invite the magical children in the area to come home to her where she would teach them how to control their magical abilities. ”

The mist now showcased a massive army of knights marching through the mountains.

“However darkness was rising as the Byzantine army marched across the country prosecuting and killing all wizards and witches who refused to join their cause. One night the Byzantines broke into Nerida’s house and took her captive. She initially tried to defend herself but due to her pacifist nature, she did not have it in her to use lethal force. ”

The audience watched how the Bulgarian lady’s house was burned down and how she was dragged away in chains by the foreign invaders. Then a bustling city was shown. Some Muggles in tunica was overlooking a bunch chained-up slaves who were to be sold as if they were chocolate frog cards.

“Nerida was taken to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, where she was sold as a slave. She was sold from owner to owner and had to endure the most painful of practices you could imagine, ” the Headmistress told her audience bitterly.

The witch was now seen laying on the floor, with bruises covering her face. Her owner walked towards her with a grisly smile.

Many kids in the audience began to cry or close their eyes.

“After 5 years sold as property in the Byzantine slave trade, she decided that she had enough of it, ” Bernadotte continued, sounding angrier and more frustrated than before.

Nerida charged at the man and the mist cut to black and the audience gasped.

Now the mist showed Nerida running through Constantinople, hunted by the city guards.

“She was captured and put in prison waiting for her execution. " 

Nerida was stripped naked and all chained up in prisoncell with a number of other prisoners. 

"Then when all hope appeared to be lost, a saving from above came. A young salesman from a German pureblood family interrupted the execution by offering her Byzantine captors a large pile of gold for her freedom. Harfang Munter was his name. ”

As the mist showed, this Munter wizard was quite handsome, with his red hair and sharp features.

"Young Harfang was deeply moved Nerida’s story and gave her the generous offer to let her stay with him as long as she wanted. Her response was positive. ”

The most showed Nerida and Harfang at a cottage surrounded by mountains, kissing each other.

“They eventually fell in love with one another and came to travel across Europe, taking up various jobs among both wizards and Muggles. Nerida’s spirit for adventuring and discovering had ignited and after being a slave at the hands of the Byzantine warlords, she promised herself never to be weak again. ”

A familiar sight appeared in the gaze. A giant castle situated next to a lake, but unlike Durmstrang was surrounded by forests and not tundra and glaciers. 

“Nerida and Harfung eventually ended up in the village of Hogsmeade next to the world-famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the highlands of Scotland. 

“After a long talk with one of the teachers, Nerida remembered her past passion for teaching and got inspired to start her school. She told Harfang, who had become her lover about it, and he agreed that it was a great idea. They decided to leave their previous lives, and move to a faraway land in the North where no Muggle or wizard had ever entered before. ”

The mist showed how Nerida, Harfang, and their newfound Scandinavian friends built the castle amid a snowstorm.

“The couple began to spread the words, of this new place where kids could be taught magic. Soon families all over the Nordics would send their kids to them every year. ”

Gellert and all the other kids of his age were utterly consumed by this story. Even older students who probably heard had the story retold to them many times were still captivated.

Madam Freya Bernadotte was just too good of a storyteller.

“Not everything was perfect, though. The rise of Christianity amongst the Scandinavian Muggles had lead to increased persecution of wizards and witches. Harfang Munter believed they should no longer take any Muggle Borns or Half-Bloods out of the risk that they would lead the witch hunters to Durmstrang’s secret location. Nerida believed that this was nonsense and that they should continue as they’d always done. Sadly the witch huntings didn’t cease and Munter saw it as their duty to help their wizards and take revenge for those predatory Muggles. The time for retribution had come, he argued. However, his partner disagreed strongly with this which caused a strain in their relationship. “

The gaze showed the couple in their office reading from a bag of letters.

“One day Nerida got a letter from a wizard who claimed he came from the Kievan Rus, present-day Russia, who said he wanted to meet her and Munter to discuss Durmstrang’s possibility of expanding further east. They both agreed to meet him and began their journey to the east. Only Munter returned from the journey and when asked by his students about what happened to their headmistress, he answered that she had been killed by the Russian Muggles and that they needed to prepare for war. He increased Durmstrang’s focus on martial magic by a tenfold and introduced the practice of dark arts to the curriculum. He also banned everyone with Muggle parents to attend the school any further, only allowing in the ‘purest of blood.’ After two decades of his rule over the school, he amassed an army of pureblood wizards and witches and declared war on Muggles. ”

The imagery changed Harfang leading his tiny army raiding a village of Muggles. Houses were burning and flashes of green were shown everywhere.

“One of the teachers at Durmstrang. A wizard known as Magnus Nott came to see this for the madness it was and during a raid, he stabbed his headmaster in the back and declared an end to Munter’s reign of terror. Nott and his fellow teachers took over the school and changed the way it had been run for the past ten years. Dark arts and martial magic would continue to part of our curriculum to this day. But for good purposes only. ”

The mist now showed a whole spectrum of events and it was hard to keep up with everything.

“Over the centuries the school’s boarding expanded to encompass students from all over Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe. To even the numbers, we’ve introduced admittance exams, and tuition fees to make sure that only those who showcase exceptional potential are allowed to study at our Institute. Durmstrang is a school for the brave and daring. The ones who will shape the future of wizardkind. We don't care what blood status or species you belong to, but I will warn you that if you don’t respect our rules and customs, I will have to ask you to leave. Change to another school if you come to discover that you don't fit in here at the Institute. There's probably a local day school in your home country that is willing to accept you, regardless.”

Those words did not deter Gellert the least. He knew he would make it to the end.

“We have a motto here at Durmstrang that goes 'You don't always have to like it, you just have to do it.' What that means, I am sure you will soon figure out. ”


	4. Day One

Gellert woke up in his dormitory early in the morning to the sound of trumpets. Learning from his days at the ship he and his 3 roommates quickly put on their uniforms and walk out in the hallway to stand in line with their fellow 1st-year Griffin students. 

Heinrich Eberstadt stood in front of them and shouted; “GOOD MORNING GRIFFINS.”

“GOOD MORNING PREFECT EBERSTADT!”

“Before breakfast, we are going to perform some exercise near the seashore. Let’s not waste any time and follow me. ”

They marched out next to the shore where some walruses were resting in the gazing sun that never went down during this time of the year. 

All 25 students formed a ring and Eberstadt who stood in the middle of it said; “We will begin with pushups. Now give me some Sacred 28:s!!”

After the morning gymnastics was over it was time for breakfast and after breakfast, it was time for their first Defense Against Dark Arts lesson. 

Into the classroom, came a huge man dressed in white robes.

“Good morning class my name is Olof Sigurdsson.”

Gellert thought his voice sounded rather silly coming from such a big and imposing man.

“I am the school’s main professor in Defense Against Dark Arts. Up until your fifth year, you will be mainly having classes held by prefects and younger However it is I who will take care of the examination and at the end of each year and see if you’re worthy to continue to the next course. I expect no-nonsense and I demand your utmost respect towards me and my colleagues. Misbehavior will be harshly punished. Prefect Rudolph Spielman will now take over the lesson. Good Luck and goodbye, ” he said and walked out of the classroom.

Prefect Spielman now in charge of the lesson said sternly; “Today we will practice the knockback jinx. ”

Gellert managed to perform the charm at the first try and flip his testing doll several meters back. The prefect did however not appear to be all that impressed to the young boy’s dismay. 

After lunch, it was time for the first flying lesson. Everyone stood ready on the Quidditch pitch with a broomstick in their hands.  
An ugly woman, the ugliest woman had ever seen came flying into the arena. She had a long nose, her face was covered in warts, and her fingernails looked more like claws than actual fingernails.

How could the school allow someone like that to teach children?

Gellert didn’t know but he found it kind of exciting anyway. 

“Good day children. My name is Anita Kjerring and I am a literal hag and usually serves as the institute's potions teacher. But for today I will teach you how to fly. Don’t worry I won’t eat you as long you follow my orders. Now put your broomsticks on the ground. ”

Everyone did as she said.

“Now say loud and clear. UP!”

For some students, the broomstick flew up in their hands but Gellert struggled for at least two minutes until he succeeded. 

After everyone held had their broomstick in the hand, the hag said; "Excellent now I want everyone to form a line behind me. "

The students formed a line and once their teacher took off to the air, the children behind her fly off in all directions. 

Gellert completely lost control of the broomstick and began to fly higher up in the air until he crashed into the audience of sections of the arena. 

He would not be signing up for the Gryphons' quidditch team next year he thought for himself.

Later on the dinner, Wolfgang asked Gellert; "So how do you think the rest of the time at Durmstrang will be like. I'm not sure about it myself."

"For me personally Wolfgang, it feels like my life my life has just begun."


	5. Nightmares and Visions

4 years later

Gellert opened the door to his dormitory, tired and barely able to stand up after the extremely long journey from Hamburg's harbor to Durmstrang’s secret location in the arctic circle.

None of his fellow prefect roommates were present in the dormitory since they had been given the task to check that all the young students were in their beds at this time. A task he was allowed to skip this night.

Much had happened since he first set foot at the Durmstrang Institute. He had seen many friends drop out of school during the first two years due to being unable to handle the pressure. An option Gellert had never considered himself despite all the times he had been threatened with expulsion for breaking the rules and getting into trouble. 

Thus it had come as a big surprise when headmistress Bernadotte accepted his request of becoming a prefect. 

Even though his wish had come true, the role of a prefect proved already to be considerably harder than he had expected. 

During the journey, he had, amongst other students been forced to sit outside to conjure winds on the sails to speed things up, which gave him a short burst of fever the following day, something that everyone completely ignored. His duties mattered above everything else.

Once they reached the secret destination he had fallen asleep during the headmistress's magical presentation of the school's history which resulted in a long rant by professor Benckendorf, head of the Gryphon clan. None of the other guardians had shown him any kind of support either and everyone either just ignored him or kept on belittling him every time he had tried to be responsible, due to the past conflict with them.

He was so tired from all the misery and hardship he had to endure since he apparated from his home to begin his school year that climbing up on his two-store bed felt like a challenge. Nor did he bother embedding, instead just fell asleep in his full uniform, with boots and everything, and no blanket over him. Gellert closed his eyes and began dreaming.

.  
.  
_  
The sky was bleak. Smoke and gas were filling the polluted air. Corpses of dead men laid everywhere. Soldiers with limbs broken off screamed for help. It was like the gates of hell had opened._

_Gellert sat in a trench surrounded by barbed wire, holding his wand in one hand and a Muggle gun in another._

_"Wizards! Do your thing!" One of his fellow soldiers shouted._

_The wizard soldier who sat next to Gellert said; "I cover. You attack. "_

_Gellert nodded._

_"Understood, comrade Muller. Don't get shot. We need you alive."_

_The wizard named Muller raised himself from the ground and conjured a shield charm stopping many bullets that were fired from the other side._

_Then Gellert raised himself too and with a wave of his wand he shouted;_

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_The green lightning went right to through the shield charm and hit one of the soldiers on the other side._

_"Good shot, comrade Grindelwald. "_

_"Gas, Gas. Mustard gas. Please help, " several of the Muggle said running towards the wizards followed by green gas that was choking many of them to death._

_Muller raised his wand and said clearly._

_"Bubbligum Fastigum, Multiplico. "_

_A magical bubble of oxygen was created around his, Gellert's, and their fellow soldier's making the ability to breathe as the otherwise deadly mustard gas began surrounding them._

_Gellert waved his wand and made all the gas disappear._

_He took a look at all the soldiers who were dying from inhaling the gas._

_"Muller. You go healing them. I'm going to give those damn French and Englishmen what they deserve. "_

_The blonde wizard ran out of the trench that protected them from the gunfire and screamed; "Fiendfyre!"_

_A flock of giant horses made of fire ran aggressively towards the opposing side but unfortunately for the Germans, the opposing side also had wizards at their disposal._

_A massive shield was created to block the fiendfyre._

_BANG._

_Gellert was shot in his neck and stomach and fell to the ground._

_"Comrade Muller. Help me, " he said as he desperately tried to crawl back into the trench again._

_Instead of helping him, Muller and the other German soldiers ran away._

_"YOU COWARDS, " Gellert shouted and then started to choke blood._

_He turned around on his back and saw several dragons in all sizes and colors flying above him._

_"Motherfu..." was his last words before he was burning in the dragons' fire._

_._

_The night was cold and dark. Gellert was now walking amongst a large group of people dressed in black and white striped prison robes._

_In front of the lead was a massive and scary machine on 4 wheels that carried a number of children and old people who appeared to fragile to walk._

_On both sides of the lead, men in grey uniforms and who carried long firearms on their backs were patrolling the large herd of people._

_Gellert understood that he had to be some kind of prisoner, but why? What had he done to deserve this? He could not remember any serious crimes he had committed._

_They arrived at some kind of farm. Or at least it seemed like one. The gates were opened and the herd was let in._

_Once everyone was inside the gates one of the guards shouted aggressively._

_“Take of your clothes and hurry. ”_

_“Why? ” Gellert asked. “What is going on?”_

_The guard walked towards him and beat him to the ground with the bottom of his gun._

_“Shut up. You don’t have the right to speak, you filthy beast. Now take off your clothes. ”_

_Gellert did as he said and once he had his clothes taken off he noticed that he had a special number tattooed on his left arm._

_After everyone had been undressed naked the guards forced them stood them to stand in two lines. One for men and one for the women._

_One by one they were forced inside the barracks._

_“Like seriously why won’t you answer me? What are you doing to us?” Gellert couldn’t stop himself from asking._

_Then the guard forced his shepherd on to him. The dog was about to rip out his throat until the guard forced it off Gellert._

_“Buster, be calm. We want his body whole. ”_

_Then he threw Gellert into the barrack with all the other prisoners._

_“Resisting never helps. It never does, ” one of the other naked men said hopelessly._

_“I don’t get it. What is this place?” Gellert asked looking up at the roof. “Some kind of shower? ”_

_Suddenly gas poured out of the showers and everything cut to black.  
.  
.  
Gellert was once again dressed in a military uniform and armed with a long gun. He stood in some kind of tower between two walls in a city. What was weird was how vastly different the two sides of the city looked in comparison to each other. _

_One side was bright, shiny, colorful and full of life. The other side was completely black and white. From the black and white side, he saw some peasants trying to climb over the wall, presumably to flee to the other side._

_“Grindelwald! What are you waiting for? Shoot them!” One of the other guards shouted._

_Gellert then pointed his gun at the wall climbers but in a moment of hesitation, he had a change of mind. He then shot the other guards thus giving the peasants a chance to escape. Then he put the gun in his mouth and shot himself.  
.  
.  
Now he stood on the streets of Gendarmenmarkt, in Berlin. The sky was red. Buildings were burning. Gunshots could be heard everywhere. Flashes of green, red, and blue could be seen here and there as well. _

_On one side of the square a group of young blond men and women were marching screaming; “Burn all witches! Burn all witches!”_

_On the other side of the square, a much smaller group of people in black robes pointed their wands at the Muggles and shouted; “Confringo!” Thus burning them all alive in vain.  
_  
.  
.  
Gellert woke up in the middle of the night.

What the hell was I dreaming?

Slowly the memories of the dreams he had started to fade away. Unwilling to go back to sleep, Gellert decided to go out for a walk instead.

“Silencio!” He said to prevent his roommates from waking up and carefully closed the door. 

This would be rather hypocritical of him since everyone had to be in bed by 11 am and it was the prefects job to prevent anyone from breaking that rule. The hallways outside the common rooms were guarded by the ghost knights and the outer areas were protected by the inferi and other dark creatures. If one was caught outside the common rooms at this time, then one got himself into serious trouble. Gellert knew that since he had been caught several times and as punishment been forced into detention. Eventually, he learned to follow the rules. Otherwise, he would not have gotten the role of a prefect. 

He looked out of the window and saw that the sky was not dark but grey due to the school’s geographical position. It would take some weeks until the weather would like it was down south. And between October and February, this region would be covered in constant darkness 24/7. 

Luckily each day at Durmstrang required so much effort that one would fall immediately at sleep every evening anyway, regardless of what time of the year it was. 

He walked out on the balcony and took a look over the vast and open landscape. There was no snow yet on the ground only at the high glaciers in the faraway distance. 

Gellert looked closely at the astronomy tower and saw a bat hanging from.

“Sabina. What are you doing up so late at night? You’re a prefect. Take some responsibility for Merlin’s sake” Gellert said without screaming since he knew that she would hear him. 

The bat flew towards the balcony and turned into a beautiful blond girl dressed in sleeping clothes. 

“That’s rather hypocritical for you to say, Gellert. ”

“Couldn’t sleep either? ”

“You know how it is for us dhampirs. Had to stay up every night during the summer with vampire friends and family and now I have to re-just. It isn’t easy you know. ”

“Did something interesting happen during the summer?” Gellert asked.

“My father is running for becoming the President of the High Council of Vampires next year.”

“That sounds very interesting. What does this position mean? ”

“It mostly a symbolic position. Not much executive power. Just regulating all the vampire courts in the world. My father used to be the boss of a successful company that creates synthetic blood and now he’s moving on to something bigger and better. The name Romanescu shall soon go to history or whatnot. ”

“Hope he wins. I am sure he would make a great president, ” Gellert said.

“I doubt that. You’ve never met him. He’s a very stubborn vampire who’s unwilling to ever admit that he’s wrong about anything. He is also extremely reckless since he's been arrested quite some times for preying on innocent incuiats. ” Sabina laughed.

“What is an ‘Incuiat’?”

“It is our term for non-magical people. There’s a lot of unregistered incuiat in my homeland who still believes in that magic exists and needs to be eradicated. The Romanian Ministry has plans to ban marriage between incuiat and all magical beings to not risk any conflicts. Most vampires support this. I am not sure what to think about it. ”

“I had some rather bizarre dreams this night. I dreamt that I was fighting a war for Muggles. I was carrying both a wand and one of those ‘guns’ you know. I don’t remember the dream in entirety but I think it ended with me getting shot and burned alive by a bunch of dragons. ”

” It does not sound like a very bizarre dream to me. There are many times in history since the foundation of the Statute of Secrecy when wizards have aided incuiat in war. For not too long ago both wizards and vampire would help the Wallachian incuiat with the fighting of our common Ottoman oppressors. ”

” That sounds very interesting”

” The worlds of wix and incuitat are interlinked with one another. And in India, the Statute of Secrecy didn't even exist until 3 decades ago when the International Confederation of Wizards conquered the place and put up a local Ministry of Magic, " Sabina explained. 

" You know what? I think the world would be a much better place if wizards and Muggles didn't live separately from each other. We would live out in the open with no need to suppress our powers and the Muggles would greatly benefit from magic." Gellert said.

The dhampir shook her head smiling.

"Oh, Gellert there is so much you don't understand. "


	6. Gellert the Prefect

“GOOD MORNING, 1-ST YEAR GRYPHON STUDENTS!”

“GOOD MORNING PREFECT GRINDELWALD, ” the 11-year old young wizards and witches replied in chorus. 

After 4 years of doing the same morning routine, it was finally Gellert who was in charge. And it felt great. 

Now it was Sabina who took the word.

“Slept well?”

Nobody answered.

“I take that as a yes. Before breakfast, we will go out running. Everybody, form a lead and follow us. ”

Out in the gazing sun, they ran with Gellert and Sabina at the forefront. On the shores next to a colony of seals, they saw the 3d year students of Kraken Clan doing sit-ups. A distance away the 14-year olds of the Fenris Clan were doing pushups and above them, members of the Two-Headed Vulture Clan were flying in formation on broomsticks. 

Gellert was filled with nostalgia seeing all of this. After 4 years of going up early in the morning to take orders from loud prefects, he had become the loud prefect who gave the orders. He could not have been more satisfied with himself. 

They ran towards the top of a hill where they settled for doing some physical activities. The arctic tundra was truly magnificent now when the sun was still up and very little snow was to be found except for on the mountain tops. In just two months the entire place would be covered in constant darkness until the spring. Gellert wondered how the kids that ran behind him would handle that. The climate here alone made many of his schoolmates quit and apply for their nearby day schools instead. Hopefully, Gellert and his fellow prefects would prevent kids from making such mistakes in the future.  
.  
.  
After the morning gymnastics was over it was time for breakfast.

Gellert and Sabina grabbed a table next to two prefects of the Lindworm clan.

“Góðan daginn Grimsson! Hyvää huomenta Filippa!”

“Oh please, Grindelwald you don’t need to greet us in our own languages. We can both speak fluent German, ” the stout blond boy named Grimsson replied. 

“I just want to get better. I only got an “Exceeds Expectations” in Scandinavian languages last year, ” Gellert said.

“Don't even attempt Finnish with me. It just hurts listening to you speaking it, ” the brunette named Filippa said. 

“How very encouraging of you, ” Gellert said, tapping his wand at the table which made a sandwich appear out of thin air. 

They continued conversing in German as they ate. 

“I had a really strange set of dreams last night, ” Gellert said. 

“Really, is that so? Tell us, ” Filippa asked curiously. 

“The first dream, I believe, took place in a battlefield and was a soldier. I was carrying both my wand and you know one of those Muggle guns. ”

“Jästi weapons are scary, ” the Finnish witch remarked. “Roughly a month ago I watched as the Russian Jästi troops in my country massacred a peasant uprising. Never in my life have I seen something as horrifying. ”

“Who cares. They were just Muggles, ” Grimsson said.

“How very tasteful of you Grimsson, ” Sabina remarked angrily at the Nordic wizard. 

“What happened next in your dream, ” Filippa asked while shoving another spoon of porridge into her mouth. 

“My fellow soldier got shot by a bunch of French people who were on the other side. Then I got shot as well and was burned alive by a dragon. That’s not the only weird dream I had last night. There was another one in which I was a prisoner surrounded by Muggles with long guns and forced into some kind of camp. Then the Muggles forced me and the prisoners in a shower and everything cut to black. ”

The other prefects at the table looked at Gellert suspiciously as if he was a crazy person.

“What a way to go. ‘Killed in a shower’. That would be something to write on my gravestone when I die comes, ” Grimsson commented while taking a sip of coffee.

“Then it was the last dream I had. I stood at Gendarmenmarkt, in Berlin. On one side of the square there was a crowd of bald people, Muggles I presume, dressed in white shirts and armed with guns and knives. Some of them even had their arms tattooed with a weird cross symbol. On the other side of the square, there was a crowd of wizards and witches in covered black robes and face masks. ”

“What happened, what happened? ” Filippa eagerly asked. 

“From what I recall the wizards cast a fyendfyre and burned all the Muggles alive. Then I woke up from my slumber. ”

“How do you even remember all of that, Grindelwald? I forget my dreams as soon as I wake up, ” the Icelandic boy said.

“So do I Grimsson but this one felt particularly real for some reason. Like I truly was there. I haven’t had such realistic dreams since I was a toddler. ”

“What did you dream about back then? ” Filippa asked.

“Not sure but I have a feeling that it was about my eventual death. ”  
.  
.  
After breakfast was over Gellert, Sabina, and Filippa went to the Muggle studies lesson. Due to it being an optional class, as well as the very high anti-Muggle sentiment to plagued the Durmstrang student body, not that many pupils choose to attend it. The main reason why Gellert decided to sign up for Muggle studies last year was that his parents encouraged him to do it. 

When they stepped into the classroom they were met with several portraits and photographs of famous Muggles. One portrait featured the former German Federal Minister for Magic shaking hands with Kaiser Wilhelm ll of Prusssia. Another one portrayed the Swedish Royal Families, whom Durmstrang’s headmistress was a part of. A photograph of the Tsar of the Russian Empire together with whom Gellert identified as Russian Minister for Magic Anatoly Dolohov. 

Every student in the room stood behind their seat waiting for the Muggle Studies to come in. Out of thin air and with a loud pop a black haired middle-aged man with a mustache, and dressed in grey military uniform stood behind the desk.

“GODMORGON KLASSEN!” He shouted in Swedish with a noticeable Finnish accent. 

“GODMORGON MAGISTER PAKKALA!” Everyone repeated in the same language.

“Vad bra. Sätt er ned. ”

Everyone did as he said and took a seat. 

“Did you have a good summer?” The teacher asked everyone in the classroom.

“Yes magister Pakkala, ” they replied at the same time.

“Anyway, let’s not waste any time. Now we talk about Muggle studies or Jästi Oppinot as it is called in my language. I am very pleased to see how many of your age who have chosen this subject in contrast to the year above you where there are only ten students. If you ask me, Headmistress Bernadotte should make Jästi studies mandatory for everyone. It is truly a very underrated subject that many if not the majority of all wizards and witches underestimate the importance of. Now how many in this room dare to answer if you have the slightest amount of non-magical blood running in your veins. Let me know which of my students whose mother and aunt are not the same people. ”

No one in the class could help but chuckle at magister Pakkala’s dry sense of humor. Only Gellert and Sabina raised their hand to answer his question.

“Now what’s your name my blond boy… wait don’t say it. Grindelwald it is. I’ve heard from you before. You’re every bully’s nightmare, ” the Finnish wizard said. “Now where on the blood status scale do you belong to.”

“The rumors fly fast, ” Gellert remarked. “To answer your question, I’m a half-blood. In that my father is a pureblood and my mother is a Muggleborn. ”

“I would've hoped to hear that one of your parents was a true Jästi like my father was. It is quite weird, isn’t it? That someone with 2 magical parents still is considered a half-blood. In the United States, however, they don’t make a distinction between a pureblood and half-bloods. In the eyes of the MACUSA, you're either a ‘wizard born’ or a ‘jästiborn’. Sorry I meant ‘No-majborn’ as it is called there, over the Atlantic. And what kind of witch are you my young lady?” Pakkala said pointing at Sabina.

“Some prejudiced wizards wouldn’t call me a witch at all. No, I am a dhampir. My father is a born vampire with inherited wizarding powers and my mother was an incuiat before she decided to let my father bite her after I was born. ”

“A dhampir you say. Now show me what you can do. Spread out your wings. ”

“Okay but I need to take off my uniform first. ”

“You have my permission to take off your uniform.”

Sabina took off her robes, then her eyes turned, her teeth turned into fangs, and two giant bat wings sprouted out of her back and through her trashed grey sweater. Flexing her wings, she lifted in the air and transformed completely into a bat. She flew around and back to her seat, returning to her humanoid form again. 

“Very impressive, “ the teacher remarked, clapping his hands. “ What was your name again?”

“Romanescu, magister. ”

“So Romanescu, allow me to ask; What exactly differentiates a dhampir from a true vampire?” Pakkala asked. Gellert assumed he already knew the answer since there were plenty of full breed vampire students at Durmstrang and at least one teacher. He probably just wanted to get on the good side of his students. 

“Very little, actually. Full breed vampires like my father tend to be stronger and faster but they cannot walk in sunlight without getting powerless like an incuiat. Dhampirs like me, however, can be in sunlight and still use our magical powers to our full extent. ”

“Interesting. Sorry, I’m getting off-topic here. Now let’s talk more about the Russian occupation of Finland’s jästi population and how it has affected my country’s wizarding community. ”  
.  
.  
After lunch, it was time for a dueling contest between the Gryphons and Lindworm clans. 

The dueling hall was a dark room with round pillars, all covered with distinct ancient patterns, giving the room a very mystical feel. Across the hall, there was a blue-colored "stage" that went from one end of the room to the other. The stage served as the only source of light due to the glowing silk carpet that covered it.

On the right side of the stage stood the Lindworm students which mainly consisted of Nordic and Baltic students while on the left side stood the Gryphons which represented a much wider variety of nationalities. They had all been introduced at dueling at the age of 12 and knew the rules and customs quite well.

Gellert and a red-haired wizard named Baltazar Nott went up on the stage for the first duel of the day.

Both held their wands as if this was some kind of Muggle-swordplay. They walked closer to each other and then turned a few meters back where they both gave a graceful nod to their opponent. 

The thing with duels like this was that they didn’t remotely reflect a real fight but was instead some kind of agreement between two parts. There were rules and customs, stuff that had no meaning when in actual conflicts. Gellert knew that, due to all the fights and petty encounters he had with Durmstrang’s bullies the previous years. 

Baltazar Nott took the first move in the duel. “Impedimenta!”

Gellert quickly re-directed the spell towards one of the Lindworm-clan members in the audience who froze on the ground as a result.

“Petrificus Totalus!” The Nordic wizard shouted but the dhampir blocked that one too. “Stupefy, Incendio, Flipendo!”

The German wizard blocked or redirected them all. “Incarcerus!”

Long ropes were conjured out of Gellert’s wand but his opponent managed to turn them to dust using a nonverbal spell. 

“Serpentsortia!”

A long black snake slithered out from the tip of Nott’s wand and charged towards Gellert.  
“Serpentsortia, Serpentsortia!” 

Two other snakes, one green and one brown were conjured. At this moment, it would have been convenient to be a parseltongue but Gellert did not possess that particular ability to talk to snakes so he had to rely on other methods.

“Repello!”

The Three snakes flew in all directions and fell into the audience who split up in fear. Luckily they all wore thick clothes that covered the entire body so there was little risk to get bitten. 

“Petrificus Totalus!”

Before Gellert could react he was hit by Nott’s full-body binding curse and felt how his limbs froze. He fell on the floor unable to either speak or move. Baltazar Nott towered over him and said with a grizzly grin on his face; “Det ser ut til at jeg vant, jævla tulling.”  
.  
.  
Before dinner, it was time for an afternoon run, held by Gellert and Sabina for the first-year students. As they kept running they came across a herd of wild reindeers ruminating on the moss, and a family of arctic foxes feasting on a snowshoe hare. 

“Herr prefect! We’ve lost Muller! “ One of the first-year students in the back of the lead shouted, to which Gellert and Sabina stopped running.

“I go looking for him, you keep running. We’ll catch up with you later, ” Sabina said, turning into her bat-form and rose to the sky, looking for the missing student. “

Gellert and the other students kept on running. They ran so far that they came across the line which marked the official range of the school grounds. If they crossed the border and if Gellert had the skills he could’ve now apparated away. However, as the institute was located so far north and so far away from any human settlements it would’ve been pointless to even try.

“BEARS!” A girl screamed in fear and everyone in the lead stopped again. 

On the left, there was a full-grown polar bear with her three cubs. The mother looked at the lead of wizards and witches with great suspiciousness.

The kids shook in fear as the polar bear growled at them. 

“Do something prefect Gellert. Kill them before they kill us, ” a freckled boy named Bruno Weber cried.

“Nobody moves, or says anything, ” Gellert said, trying to calm the toddlers. This was not the first time he had seen polar bears present within the borders of the school and he knew that they didn’t attack humans unprovoked. However, the mother looked somewhat skinnier than the other polar bears he had seen indicating that they hadn’t eaten in a while, which was very troubling. 

Gellert drew his wand which provoked the Ursin mother further, which was not what he desired. He could’ve quickly stunned both the mother and her cubs with ease but something in his gut told him not to. The German wizard didn’t feel like himself. He had resorted to impulsive and violent actions before when dealing with his bullies. Stunning the polar bears would’ve been more than justified considering the situation. But for some reason, he felt unable to do it and couldn’t understand why. There was 20 kids present and none of them could perform the appropriate spells to subdue the polar bear. Everything was on Gellert now.

“Everyone stays together okay, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of as long as you stay together.”

Then something happened one of the kids drew his wand and began to shoot red sparkles at the arctic carnivore. 

“WEBER NOOOOO!!!!!” Gellert screamed in panic.

This was the last straw that made the polar bear strike. The kids began to run in all directions, screaming in for their lives. everyone except for Weber who stood paralyzed as the predator charged against him. Gellert ran forward towards the polar bear and found his right arm between its jaws, as he clashed into the ursin carnivore. 

“SCHEEEIIIISEEEE!!!!!” He screamed in utter pain as the bear threw him down on the ground, breaking his arm in the process. The violent predator pressed her paws at his chest and ripped the arm from his body, and threw it to her cubs. As the mother was up to finish off with a fatal blow of her paw she was hit in the head by red sparkles coming from Bruno’s wand. The polar bear turned her attention to the little boy who dropped his wand in shock.

“RUN WEBER RUN!” The now one-armed Gellert shouted lying helpless on the ground, fearing for the boy’s life.

The 11-year-old wizard did as the prefect said and turned his back, running the other way. However, the carnivore was much faster than the young wizard and had in a split second caught up to him. As the bear was close to biting him she was hit with a blast of blue lightning and fell on the ground, unable to move or commit any further harm. 

Gellert and Bruno looked to the sky where they saw Sabina, flying around in circles with her giant bat wings sprouting out from the back. She glided down in panic and screamed;

“GELLERT!!!!”

She aw that his right arm had been broken over from the rest of the body and blood was flooding from where his ankle was. Many would’ve gotten ill by seeing but since Sabina was raised by vampires, she was able to tolerate this ugly sight. 

Then she directed her wand at where it should sit and through a healing spell managed to stop the bleeding. He was practically bathing in his own blood now. Weber, Muller, and some of the other kids formed a ring around them. However, some of the 11-year-olds appeared to have gotten lost.

“How in Count Dracul’s name could you do this to me? Why didn’t you just kill that stupid bear?”

“I don’t know Sabina. I don’t know. I just couldn’t...” Gellert mumbled, feeling dizzy and close to falling into unconsciousness. The Sabina slapped him in the face.

“No Gellert Grindelwald. Don’t you dare close your eyes!”

“Don’t worry Sabina. No risk. I will live. “

Sabina conjured a glass out of thin air and filled it with water.

“Now drink!” She demanded. 

“Prefect Grindelwald, how are you? Are you fine?” Weber asked worryingly. 

“Fine? Do I look fine to you, Weber? I’ve lost one of my arms to a goddam polar bear. That is obviously the very opposite of fine, you stupid toddler ” Gellert replied tired and frustrated at the 11-year-old’s dumb question. 

“Thank you for saving my life, prefect Grindelwald. ”

“Don’t tell me about it. It is our duty as prefects to protect you kids from harm. You are our full responsibility. If anything happens to you then we have failed. Now Sabina, can you please get my right arm back? ”

“Accio Gellert’s arm, ” and the limb flew away from the cubs and into her hand.

“Can you put it back where it belongs? ” Gellert asked. 

“No, I can’t do that, your highness. I am not quite on that level yet, ” Sabina answered sarcastically. “Muller, please hold this, ” she said to the young girl and handed her the off-broken arm. Then she proceeded to conjure a stretcher out of thin air and helped Gellert on to it. 

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

The stretcher levitated one and a half meters up in the air. “Now let’s get back to the Institute, everyone!” Sabina called on all the 11-year olds.

It took them over 20 minutes to get back to the castle and Sabina had to talk with Gellert about all kinds of meaningless and trivial topics for him not to fall unconscious. Once inside the castle every student and teacher they passed by came over and asked what had happened but Sabina and Gellert ignored all of them. Up the stairs, they went and with a flick of her wand the dhampir threw up the doors to the hospital wing. 

“David Lange! We’ve got an emergency!” She said.

One of the healers, a young brown-haired man in his early 20s looked at them and said; “Romanescu, Grindelwald, Jeg får skele gro!” With a flick of his wand, he had summoned said potion.

“Drik nu din dumme teenager, og stop indtil hele flasken er tom for Guds skyld!” He said in his native language, holding the bottle close to his patient’s face.

The German wizard was forced to drink up the entire bottle and once he had done that, he felt that he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

“GELLERT WAKE UP!” Was the last thing he heard before everything cut to black.  
.  
.  
Several hours later he woke up and saw that his right arm had only grown halfway and that he had to wait a bit longer before he could leave the hospital wing. 

The Healer, David Lange, went to Gellert’s bed and greeted him.

“Godmorgen Grindelwald eller skal jeg sige godnat. Uret har kun ramt 1 om morgenen, ”

“Please Lange. Speak in German. I’m too tired to converse in another language right now, ” Gellert said, feeling rather annoyed. 

“Ok, fine. If you excuse, I must go and inform the headmistress that you’ve woken up. She wants to talk with you, ” the healer said and disapparated out of the hospital wing. 2 minutes later he was back with the headmistress. She didn’t appear to be either angry or happy to see Gellert.

“Professor Bernadotte. Det är en ära att se dig, ” Gellert said in her language for the sake of conformity. “Jag kommer att säga upp mig som prefect på grund av min oansvarighet. ”

“No Herr Grindelwald. I don’t want you to resign as prefect. Not for now at least, when you’ve just begun, ” she calmly assured him. “But you’re only going to get one more chance. Romanescu told me everything that had happened. It was incredibly irresponsible of you not to stun the polar bear when you had the chance but you proved yourself worthy when you saved Weber’s life and sacrificed your right arm in the process. I believe you’re a good person deep down Grindelwald and that you’re much better than most snobs that attend Durmstrang. It would be a shame losing you. ”

“Thank you so much, Professor Bernadotte. I will not let you down. ”  
.  
.  
Gellert woke up again in the morning and saw that his arm had regrown completely. David Lange permitted him to leave so he left for the griffin tower. On the first floor, he found Sabina standing in front of the 11-year olds ready to go out for the morning gymnastics. The two prefects stared silently at each other and suddenly the dhampir went forward threw her arms around Gellert and kissed him, to the shock of all the first-year students.

.


End file.
